Pinetop Brewing Company
Pinetop Brewing Company, on White Mountain Boulevard in Pinetop-Lakeside, is the area's best-known brewery and Arizona's only dedicated Belgian-style microbrewery. Founder James Maloney opened it in 2012 as the first microbrewery in northeastern Arizona, and brewer John "Cisco" Francisco joined in 2015 to pivot the lineup toward traditional Belgian styles using local mountain water. The taproom has since expanded to pour American and West Coast-style ales alongside the Belgian lineup, plus wine and guest taps. The attached restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, which makes it as much a dinner stop as a beer stop.
This is the most straightforward first pick if you only have time for one brewery — it brews onsite, has the most developed food menu of the group, and sits centrally in Pinetop-Lakeside near other shops and restaurants.
Buffalo Nickel Brewery
Buffalo Nickel Brewery, on Clark Road in Show Low, bills itself as Show Low's own onsite brewery and leans into a Western theme, from buffalo-nickel branding to Old West decor throughout the taproom. Beers are brewed on the premises, and the kitchen menu is built to pair with them. It sits next to a local tavern and museum, so it's easy to combine with a bit of Show Low history if you're already downtown.
Hours vary by day of the week and the brewery is typically closed at least one day, so check current hours before making a special trip.
Four Silos
Four Silos, on White Mountain Lake Road in Show Low, combines a coffee shop and beer house under one roof — it's part of a small Arizona chain with a sister location near Phoenix, but the Show Low taproom pours and distributes its own White Mountains-brewed beer. It's a good option if your group is split between coffee drinkers and beer drinkers, or if you want a brewery stop earlier in the day than a typical taproom visit.
Moose Henri's
Moose Henri's Grille, Corks & Taps, on Highway 260 in Lakeside, isn't a brewery itself — it doesn't brew onsite — but it's worth including because locals repeatedly point to it as the area's best beer bar. The taproom pours roughly thirty different microbrews with an emphasis on Arizona breweries, alongside a full char-broiler menu (a bison burger is something of a house specialty) and a sports-bar atmosphere with big screens. It's been locally owned since 2019 and is a reasonable stop if you want variety across several breweries' beers in one sitting rather than committing to a single house brand.
Worth the Extra Drive
If you're willing to extend the loop along Highway 260 toward Overgaard, 260 Brewery & Distillery is a further-out option that regularly shows up on regional brewery lists — it's roughly a half hour or more beyond Show Low depending on where you start, so treat it as a separate outing rather than a stop on an in-town brewery run. Confirm current hours before making the drive, since it operates on a limited weekly schedule.
What's Different About High-Elevation Brewing
Pinetop-Lakeside and Show Low both sit above 6,000 feet, and local brewers have pointed to the area's mountain water as part of what shapes their beer — Pinetop Brewing Company in particular has built its identity around using that local water for traditional Belgian recipes rather than importing a West Coast IPA-first approach wholesale. It's a small detail, but it's part of why the area's breweries taste distinct from what you'd find at a chain taproom in Phoenix, even before accounting for the food menus built around a mountain-town, cooler-weather crowd rather than a desert one.
None of the breweries here are large regional producers — these are small, independently run operations, several with a single taproom and limited distribution, so tap lists and seasonal beers change more often than at a bigger operation. If a specific style or seasonal release is the reason for your visit, it's worth calling ahead or checking the brewery's current social media rather than assuming a beer you read about elsewhere is still on tap.
Food and Family Considerations
Every stop on this list serves food alongside beer rather than functioning as a bar-only taproom, which makes the whole lineup more workable for a mixed group that isn't only there to drink. Pinetop Brewing Company and Moose Henri's both run full kitchens built around lunch and dinner service, Buffalo Nickel pairs its onsite brews with a Western-themed menu, and Four Silos covers both ends of the day with a coffee-and-beer format. Most of these spots also allow minors in the dining areas since food service is part of the business, but policies on where minors can sit versus the taproom or bar area vary — check with each location if you're bringing kids along.
Planning a Brewery Stop
Nothing in this lineup is within comfortable walking distance of anything else — Pinetop Brewing Company, Buffalo Nickel, Four Silos, and Moose Henri's are all a short drive apart along or near Highway 260 between Pinetop-Lakeside and Show Low, not a walkable strip. Arrange a designated driver or rideshare if you're planning to hit more than one, and check each spot's current hours and any live-music or event schedule before you go, since small breweries in a seasonal tourist town tend to adjust hours through the year. Pair a brewery stop with an afternoon on the White Mountains' lakes or a morning exploring Show Low or Pinetop-Lakeside for a full day that isn't just about the beer.